Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Taw
169 Let my cry come before you, Lord;(A)
in keeping with your word, give me understanding.
170 Let my prayer come before you;
rescue me according to your promise.
171 May my lips pour forth your praise,
because you teach me your statutes.
172 May my tongue sing of your promise,
for all your commandments are righteous.
173 Keep your hand ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, Lord;
your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live to praise you;
may your judgments give me help.
176 I have wandered like a lost sheep;
seek out your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments.(B)
Chapter 13
1 A man of God came from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, while Jeroboam was standing at the altar to burn incense. 2 (A)He cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord: “Altar, altar, thus says the Lord: A child shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, who shall slaughter upon you the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and they shall burn human bones upon you.” 3 (B)He also gave a sign that same day and said: “This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: The altar shall be torn apart and the ashes on it shall be scattered.” 4 When the king heard the word of the man of God which he was crying out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched forth his hand from the altar and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched forth against him withered, so that he could not draw it back. 5 (The altar was torn apart and the ashes from the altar were scattered, in accordance with the sign the man of God gave by the word of the Lord.)
6 Then the king said to the man of God, “Entreat the Lord, your God, and intercede for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored as it was before. 7 The king told the man of God, “Come with me to the house for some refreshment so that I may give you a present.” 8 The man of God said to the king, “If you gave me half your palace, I would not go with you, nor eat bread or drink water in this place. 9 For I was instructed by the word of the Lord: Do not eat bread or drink water, and do not return by the way you came.” 10 So he departed by another road and did not go back the way he had come to Bethel.
Prophetic Disunity.[a]
9 Well, then, are we better off? Not entirely, for we have already brought the charge against Jews and Greeks alike that they are all under the domination of sin,(A) 10 as it is written:(B)
“There is no one just, not one,
11 there is no one who understands,
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have gone astray; all alike are worthless;
there is not one who does good,
[there is not] even one.
13 Their throats are open graves;
they deceive with their tongues;
the venom of asps is on their lips;(C)
14 their mouths are full of bitter cursing.(D)
15 Their feet are quick to shed blood;(E)
16 ruin and misery are in their ways,
17 and the way of peace they know not.
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.”(F)
19 Now we know that what the law[a] says is addressed to those under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world stand accountable to God,(G) 20 since no human being will be justified in his sight[b] by observing the law; for through the law comes consciousness of sin.(H)
III. Justification Through Faith in Christ
Justification Apart from the Law.[c]
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.